The Skolkovo Fund will start working in four CIS countries in 2012

Skolkovo Fund representatives will begin working in Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Ukraine this year under the interstate program of innovation cooperation of CIS member states till 2020, the deputy administrator of Rossotrudnichestvo Igor Morozov told RIA Novosti.

According to him, the decision was announced in June, 20 at the conciliation commission of the CIS countries. The interstate program of innovation cooperation of the Commonwealth was adopted in October, 18, 2011 at the 58th meeting of the Council of CIS Government Heads in St. Petersburg. In October 2011 the CIS Economic Council vested a non-profit organization The Development Fund of the Center for the commercialization and development of new technologies (the Skolkovo Fund) with a function of the operator of the program

We are absolutely confident that this year the representatives of Skolkovo will work in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus and Armenia as the most advanced innovation partners in the CIS - said Morozov.

He said that it is planned to create a network of national contact centers by 2015, where Skolkovo representatives will work within Russian centers of science and culture (RCSC) in the innovation environment of former USSR. These centers are run by Rossotrudnichestvo.

Skolkovo will become a tool for the selection of innovation developments in the Eurasian Union in order to finance them from startup level to the level of commercialization - the Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo said.

According to him, Rossotrudnichestvo has its missions in 73 countries around the world, and Skolkovo will gradually expand its mission in the world too.

One of our next steps for the opening of Skolkovo mission on the basis of RCSC is Washington, Berlin and Paris. I think we'll be ready jointly with Skolkovo to work out a plan (to open offices there) in 2012 - said Morozov, explaining that the work plan for countries outside the CIS will be approved in the first half of July.